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Competition is natural and induces the urge for self improvement. We might not show it on the surface, but we are constantly making comparisons in our minds.
When an artist's craft evolve to a certain level, however, it will be pointless to make comparisons. You cannot compare Coltrane with Bird and say one is better than the other, just as you cannot compare Monk with Bud Powell and say one is better than the other. You can comment superficially on things like who has faster fingers or who has better time. But you cannot really compare their artistries.
When we start to release our ego, think less about trying to be better than others, and focus more on trying to be better than ourselves, we have entered the next stage of learning, which lasts a lifetime. After all, if we only think about being better than others, our goal vanishes after we accomplish it.
To pursue an art is not so much about being the best, but more about breaking your own limits. At the end, it is not about competition, but about seeking perfection.
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